


What survival is worth

by barakati



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Felicity ends up on the island, Love, Oliver x Felicity - Freeform, Romance, Slow Burn, Survival, island au, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-11 10:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5623891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barakati/pseuds/barakati
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's been on the island for 2 years and counting. He's learned lessons that they don't teach you in school. He learns to be invincible, the fear of death no longer fazes him. Until a small blonde washes up on the shore and shows him what it's like to have something to lose.<br/>______________________________________</p>
<p>So set two years after Oliver arrives on Lian Yu. I thought it'd be cool to write a story where Oliver meets Felicity before he returns to Starling.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One- the arrival

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy! If you do please leave a review/comment and kudos as I have much more motivation to continue writing when I know that people like it:)

Two years can really change a person. Especially when those two years are spent on an island miles and miles away from any living civilization. Or at least sane civilization. Oliver Queen, after being the only survivor of his father's boat crash, had finally given up hope that there was any way out of this eternal hell. He'd always been a pretty cold-hearted person; it's pretty easy to forget who you are when money is what defines you. But now, after being tortured, shot, imprisoned and far worse, Oliver had become an even bigger shell of a person. 

The first year being here he was afraid, weak and helpless. But after meeting someone named Yao Fei, and training with his daughter, Shado and another man called Slade Wilson, he had gained strength not only in body but in mind and heart. He was relentless. But after Shado being kidnapped, Yao Fei giving up his life for them and Slade turning against him after being injected by a lethal drug, Oliver was alone. He was pretty sure now that he was the only one on The Island and he hadn't seen a new face in months. 

He was beginning to think he would go crazy and kill himself. How could he keep going on with the small fraction of hope that he may someday return to his family? The only thing keeping his sanity was his father's words, "right my wrongs." And Oliver wanted so desperately to be able to do that. To live by his father's dying words. But how was that even slightly possible considering he's stuck on an island with potential threats of death every day? Food was scarce and although he had been taught to hunt, there are a few animals who are not prey but predators, and they could rip him apart in an instant. 

Oliver had set up camp when he first met Slade Wilson. The both of them and Shado resided there for months and they had done a pretty good job. There were various makeshift beds and a fire pit with fresh firewood that Oliver had collected recently and there was a chest full of herbs and medicines that Shado had left behind. It was hard returning there everyday, knowing what had occurred on these grounds. But Yao Fei had taught him that survival is more important than your emotions. Just like Slade taught him strength without boundaries. And Shado... He taught him to love and honor the people around him. 

Oliver often spoke aloud to himself, sometimes his loneliness creeped up on him and the only way to feel his own existence was to do so audibly. But as he was singing softly to himself whilst washing his clothes in the stream, he hears the splashing of someone hastily bringing their lifeboat to the shore. On high alert, Oliver ran stealthily to grab his bow and hid behind a tree, waiting for the intruder to approach. 

"Hello?" A soft voice called. "I know you're there. I heard you." Oliver didn't say a word, eyeing the blonde cautiously. "Please... I need help." 

The voice got louder as the woman came closer. Just as she reached the tree, he swiveled around quickly and pulled back the string on his bow. Immediately the woman put her hands up in defense, worry lacing her features. She was petite and wore glasses that must have been damaged in whatever situation landed her here. 

"Please... Don't hurt me... " She says cautiously but Oliver does not lower his bow; trust is something he had very little of. 

"What's your name?" Oliver let out aggressively. 

"Felicity." 

"Felicity what?" He said, raising his voice even more. 

"Smoak! My name's Felicity Smoak." 

Oliver's stance faltered slightly. 

"I've heard your name before..." 

"No, you haven't... Honestly I'm nobody." 

"You work at Queen Consolidated." 

"How do you know that?" 

"That's my father's company," he concludes as he drops his bow. "How did you get here?" 

"I was on a ferry on my way to Vienna... I guess I wanted to let my hair down for once," she said, giving a sad smile to the man before looking down. As she realized what she had heard, she looked abruptly towards him. "Wait... You're Oliver Queen. As in Oliver Queen who has been missing for two years and presumed dead after one." 

"They think I'm dead?" 

"Of course... You've been gone for 2 years. There was a worldwide manhunt for you and when they couldn't find you well... That was the only assumption that could give anyone closure," she replied, finally allowing herself to sit down on a nearby log. "Am I going to die down here? Because don't get me wrong it's beautiful, and I've always wanted to live near a beach but honestly I imagined it to be a beach that was part of a city. Not a beach that is part of... Well, an even bigger beach," She concluded, taking in her surroundings. 

"I don't know. This island... it's unpredictable. There are planes occasionally. But they're so rare that it's hard to be prepared for them. I've started huge fires but no matter how thick the smoke I always seem to be late." 

Felicity put her head in her hands before reciting "Oh God," over and over again. Oliver sat next to her awkwardly staring down at her.

Oliver was silent, not entirely sure what to do. He hasn't had to comfort anyone for two years, it was usually everyone else doing that for him since he was the new one on the island. But looking at the fragile girl in front of him, he remembers just how scared he was when he first arrived here. If it wasn't for Yao Fei teaching him what he needed to know about survival, there's no way he would've lasted this long. 

"Listen, you're going to be fine. We're alone on the island at the moment... Or at least as far as I know. Look, I'll explain as much as I can but first of all we're going to have to stitch up that cut on your leg." 

Felicity's head shot up to look in his eyes. "Stitches?" Oliver nodded. "No, no you don't understand, me and needles? Not friends no, no no. I'm like the least clumsy person on the face of earth purely because when I was 10 I slit open my elbow and they had to physically put me to sleep to stitch me up. So now I make sure that I never have to go through that traumatizing experience ever again." 

"First lesson, you're going to have to face your fears, and most importantly you and pain are going to have to get along." 

Felicity furrows her eyebrows in worry, she could deal with pain, needles however were a different story. She had skipped all of her school immunizations, if she had symptoms that required a blood test to have a diagnosis she'd lie to her mother and her doctor. Crap, my mother. She thought to herself. She wouldn't realize that Felicity is missing yet. She was supposed to be in Vienna for 3 weeks and her mother knew she was taking the trip to get some time alone so she wouldn't be expecting any calls. Felicity sighed loudly. She thought her life had no meaning, that no one would miss her when she was gone. But now, as she sits on a log with a man who was pronounced dead over a year ago, she can't help thinking that her life could've amounted to so much more. 

"Do you even have supplies to stitch me up?" She asked, looking up from her previous position where her head was in her hands. 

"Yes, come with me," he says, offering his hand for support as she got up. 

In normal circumstances he would've left this girl for the dead. But remembering his father talk fondly about Felicity Smoak, the IT genius that worked at his company, all of his natural instincts went out the window. Although his father was gone, he was the only one in his family who he felt he had any personal connection with. Of course he loved his mother and sister, but their presence seems so far gone that he felt as if they didn't even exist. It also felt comforting having someone from QC here with him. It was like a part of his family had been transported here to be with him in the shape of a pretty young woman. 

He helped her limp over to the plane where he had set up camp. He then gently let her sit down on a blanket that was splayed out across the floor. She winced slightly as her foot made contact with the ground. Oliver went over to Shado's chest and opened it up. He grabbed one of the suture kits which was made out of sharpened shells and thin strips of leaves before returning to Felicity and placing the items next to her. Felicity watched in fear as he put some liquid on a cloth, looking away as he placed it on her wound. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the excruciating stinging pain that she was feeling. She didn't want him to see her fear. He knew he could snap her like a twig and she didn't want to prove that even further. 

"I'm going to sew it up now, okay?" He asked for permission gently. 

She didn't return her gaze, she just continued to look away from him as she nodded her head. She held her breath as he inserted the needle into the first bit of skin. Each time the needle penetrated her body she winced slightly, but as Oliver got closer to concluding his suturing, her entire calve had gone numb. 

"All done," he said, wiping her wound over one more time with what she assumed was disinfectant. "See, wasn't so bad was it?" He asked, giving her a small smile. 

She returned with, "no, but now that I've endured something I hope I will never have to go through again it's made me realize something." 

"And what's that?" 

"I'm starving." 

He let out a humored huff of air in response as he stood up from his crouching position on the ground. 

"Okay, I'll get us some food, just stay here okay?" 

"Wait, you're leaving me? Please don't. What if an angry bear comes and tries to kill me? Or my stitches come loose and I bleed to death. Or a mob of flesh hungry mammals come out of nowhere and-" 

"Felicity," he says gently, interrupting her irrational babbling. "First of all, we're on an island, there aren't any bears here. The worst I've come into contact with are spiders and snakes-" 

Felicity's eyes widen more and Oliver realizes he used a poor choice of words. "No, it's fine! They're only really in the deep part of the island, where all the trees and wildlife are." He says trying to comfort her again. Her face still doesn't falter. "The point is you're going to be fine, I'll be half an hour tops. And if anything happens there are flares in that box, just shoot one and I swear I'll run straight back here." 

She nods slowly, watching him walk away until he is no longer in her sight.


	2. Two- stories around the campfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These are just filler chapters tbh I do have a main idea for the story line but we've gotta let these guys settle in first:) Hope you enjoy!

Felicity felt like she had been sitting there for over an hour. She was getting paranoid and nervous which was evident by her chewed up fingernails. She sighed in defeat. He's not coming back, she thought. She took off her glasses, looking down at the right lens which was cracked from where her head had hit the edge of the ferry. She had no idea what she was going to do. She could hardly see let alone survive on an island. A tear escaped her eye and she made no effort to wipe it away. Eventually she was sobbing into her hands, giving up all hope of ever returning home. It hadn't even been a day and she was already 100% sure this is where she is going to die. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by shuffling outside. She grabbed the nearest thing to her which happened to be a thermal mug and threw it as soon as the intruder entered. The 'intruder' happened to be Oliver, and upon arrival he quickly swatted the mug off looking at her incredulously. He didn't have long to be offended though as he looked down at the crying blonde whose glasses weren't on her face. 

"Are you okay?" He asked as he set down a pheasant and two fish on a counter top before kneeling down to her level. He could see her face clearly now; she had deep blue eyes  
and only slightly visible freckles. Her skin was clear and she had lines where her dimples would be if she was smiling. But she wasn't. 

She wipes her eyes and nods, looking up at him. "I thought you weren't coming back..." She let out a little chuckle. "I had accepted my fate." 

"And what is your fate?" 

"Dying down here." 

"Felicity, I'm going to make damn sure that doesn't happen. For either of us." 

She just nodded slowly, watching him as he raised himself from the ground. 

"I got some fish and a pheasant," Oliver explains, mirroring what Yao Fei had done for him a year ago. 

"Why is it in a cage?" 

"Because you're going to kill it," he replies, holding out a knife for her. 

"What? I can't do that. I don't even eat meat! You see, I'm Jewish and we're not allowed to eat any animals that don't have split hooves and don't chew their cud. I didn't know what that meant until I was like 11 so I just avoided meat all together." She protested. 

"Well, if you don't want to die on this island you're going to have to. Your choice." He finished as he began preparing the fish for cooking. 

She stared at the pheasant for a while. So long that Oliver had actually eaten his fish by the time she made up her decision. They both opened their mouths at the same time to say something. 

"Sorry, you go first," Felicity suggested. 

He nodded. "I know it's taunting... All of this. When I first came here, God I genuinely thought that I was lying on my death bed. I had help though; the same help I'm willing to offer you. A man called Yao Fei did the exact same exercise with me. Making me kill my food. It took me four days. Look, I can teach you how to live with me, but if we are separated you need to be able to take care of yourself." 

She stared at him for a moment before returning her gaze to the bird. "How do you do it?" She sighed. 

"Well, you can breaks its neck or slit its throat. Breaking its neck involves less blood." 

She opened the cage, placing the bird in her lap. Closing her eyes she placed her hands firmly around its neck. Taking a deep inhale she sharply twisted the neck until she heard a crack. She could feel the bird squirming in her hands and she quickly threw it, bringing her hands up to her mouth. 

"Oh my God! It's still alive! Oh my God poor thing!" She exclaimed, standing up quickly. 

He stood with her, placing his hand on her shoulder and said, "It's fine, it is dead. It's just the body having spasms." 

Tears were swelling in her eyes as she looked up at him. "How can you be so damn calm about this?" She questioned, raising her voice slightly. 

"Because, survival means being selfish." 

She didn't reply. She just sat back down at her previous position, her wound starting to hurt from the pressure she had put on it. 'Survival means being selfish.' She analyzed what he said for a while. Does that mean he would choose survival over her? Of course it did. He had spent 2 years trying to survive, why on earth would he risk all of that hard work for her? She needed to listen to him. Learn every skill that has allowed him to last this long because there was definitely going to be a point where she will have to survive on her own and no Oliver Queen will be there to save her. 

"Can you teach me how to make a fire?" She asks, breaking the silence between them. 

"You don't know how to make one?" 

She came and sat down next to him, beside the already lit fire. 

"Well, if you give me some coal, paper and a lighter I can sure as hell start you a fire. But, I'm guessing down here fire's aren't made the conventional way so no... I don't know how to make a fire." 

He chuckles slightly before turning around and grabbing a bow like object. He starts taking it apart before passing her the objects. She raises a questioning eyebrow. 

"Okay, so curve the thin stick." She does. "Tie the string to both ends... Now I've got a piece of wood here but if you're starting a fire alone you're going to need either a piece of wood or stone with a small dent in it... Then you're going to have to find a sturdy stick and wrap the string around it once... Grab a flat rock and place it on top of that stick... Put the bottom of that stick in the crease and keep pulling the bow back and forth until you get an ember." 

He watches as she does what he says and waits until she achieves the ember before getting the next step. 

"It's not working," she moans, frowning. 

"Because you're not pulling the bow hard enough. Try again." 

She tries once more, using all of her strength and a hot red ember starts to form. 

"Great, now you should do this before you start to make the fire but I've already got a pit formed. You'll need a stack of wood and some dry grass. Put the wood upside down so the ember burns into the grass." 

She does as he says and she grins at her victory. 

"Congratulations, you now know how to make a fire," Oliver says, getting up to collect the bird for prepping. 

"So now the gross part huh?" Felicity asks, looking sadly down at the dead bird in Oliver's hand. 

She watches him intently as he pulls off as much feathers as he can. 

"Now you're going to have to skin it," he says, passing it over to her. 

She frowns, her eyebrows furrowed in disgust. She does as he says anyhow, following his steps until the bird is roasting above the fire.  
They both sit in a comfortable silence for a while, taking turns to twist the makeshift spit roast. Oliver looks up at Felicity, the fire making her face light up with orange and red. 

"Can I ask you something?" Oliver says, breaking the silence. 

"Go ahead," she replies, placing her hands behind her and resting her bodyweight on them. 

He opened his mouth and closed it a few times, seeming as if he was trying to pick the right words to say. 

"My family... You must've heard about them in the press... How are they?" 

Felicity's stomach churns at that question. She wonders whether she should tell him everything or if she should keep quiet, she hardly thinks they're going to return to Starling anyhow. She could tell him about his sister's substance abuse problem, or how she sleeps with a different man every week. She could tell him about his mother re-marrying to Felicity's boss Walter, who Felicity knew was a close friend of Oliver's father. She could tell him about his ex-girlfriend Laurel being caught with his best friend Tommy walking out of various hotel rooms, disheveled every time. But what would that achieve? Other than confusing him, making him sad, maybe even making him angry. And if he's angry, who does he take that anger out on? 

"I haven't heard anything really..." She lies, picking at her thumbnail as she looks at the ground. 

"Felicity..." 

"Hm?" 

"You're a really bad liar." 

"I know," she replies, a sad smile plastered on her face. 

"Tell me, I can handle it." 

So she does. She explains everything she's heard. God, she shouldn't have started talking. She knows full well if she starts nothing can stop her. But he doesn't complain. He lets  
her ramble on and on, listening intently to her words. When she comes to an end he looks at her blankly, unable to form words. 

"Oliver?" She questions, waving a hand in front of his face. 

He snaps back into reality. "Yeah, uh sorry... I just... My Thea... I just... she's 15 for Christ Sake!" He yells, standing up, pushing various items from the counter as he does. 

Felicity silently curses to herself. "I knew I shouldn't have told you." 

Almost as if by magic, Oliver takes a deep breath and calms down, Felicity's voice soothing him. She's fragile and he doesn't want to scare her. 

"No, no you should have. I'm glad you did, thank you. 

Another few moments of silence pass and Felicity knows that if Oliver wasn't as strong as he needed to be he'd be in tears. So instead of sitting awkwardly like she always does, she follows him and places a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

"It's not your fault, you know? She makes her own decisions," she coos. 

"But if I wasn't on that damn boat!" He shouts causing Felicity to flinch and pull away. He lowers his voice again. "If I wasn't on that boat... If I wasn't cheating on my girlfriend... If I was just a decent human being I could've stopped all of this." 

"You know what I think? I think that you made a mistake. We all do. It's just unfortunate that your mistake led you here. You're not a bad person just because you did something you regret. You need to prove to yourself and your sister that you can get through this hell hole and be a better person because of it. There's no such thing as a useless lesson." 

"It's getting late... We should sleep..." Oliver suggests, ignoring her advice. 

She sighs quietly, kind of sad that she couldn't offer him any support. But she nods nonetheless. 

"Can I eat first?" She asks jokingly. 

"Oh yeah, sorry I forgot." 

After she's finished with her food, Oliver places a metal bucket over the fire to stop the flames. He uses a torchlight to go to a chest to get them blankets. He growls in annoyance when the chest reveals chewed up blankets and the source of the chewer. 

"Rats," he complains to himself. 

"What?" 

"Nothing, we only have one blanket, you can have it," he says quickly, tossing it to her. 

"Don't be ridiculous it's freezing!" 

"Well unless you want to share that's how it's going to be," he says coldly, turning on his side so he could no longer see her. 

"Okay first of all there's no need to talk to me like that, and secondly it's sharing a blanket not genital warts," she retorts, immediately regretting her choice of words. She'd meant to somehow explain to him that there's nothing wrong with sharing a blanket, but her innuendo-filled mind had another course of action. 

He tried hard to hide his smile but he couldn't. Not that it mattered, it was dark and he was facing away from her. He let out a defeated sigh as he sat up, shining the flashlight over to her. 

"You're right, I'm sorry. It's just been the first time in a while I've spoken about my family let alone found out about their well-being." 

"I understand... so do you want to share or not?" 

"If it's okay with you." 

"Of course it is, isn't it every girls dream to share a bed with Oliver Queen?" She put her head in her hands as soon as the words left her mouth, the flashlight would be making her  
wide eyes and red cheeks a lot more prominent. "Okay when I'm tired I make really inappropriate comments I'm sorry." 

He just chuckles and walks over to her, bringing the thin 'mattress' over with him and putting it down next to her. Felicity pulled the blanket over her so it was covering him too. 

Almost immediately Felicity fell asleep but Oliver was up all night smelling her shampoo, the scent being ridiculously similar to the perfume Thea wears.


	3. Three- Waterfall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm sorry if it's annoying that I skipped two weeks but what I want to achieve with this series requires me to skip some time. I really want to write about their time when they return from the island and in order to do so I need to move things along sort of quickly. Also I know these chapters have been boring and lame but I have a plan for where I want things to go and hopefully next chapter (if it fits like I want it to) we'll have some interesting events and new characters:) Hope you enjoy this chapter and if you do a comment is always appreciated!

It had been two weeks since Felicity arrived on the island. She knew because she had been making a tally into a stick with a white-chalk like rock. Her days were uneventful, which was surprisingly a good thing. Each day consisted of getting up, walking through the sea of trees with Oliver to find their daily meals, returning home to make a fire and then spending the rest of the day learning to defend herself until the dawn of night where they would both share a blanket and fall asleep. Oliver had been teaching her two different styles of Martial Arts: Eskirima, a fighting style that often involves melee weapons and Kyudo, which includes archery. 

For the first week he insisted that she slap water out of a bowl. She didn't understand and he refused to tell her what the purpose of this exercise was. Eventually he told her and she still doesn't really understand how a week of slapping water out of a bowl helped her pull the string of a bow back but he knows what he's doing so she doesn't argue. He wanted to start easy on her, showing her simple blocks and defense techniques, but when it came to Eskirima she was a very fast learner. Kyudo however was another story, it involved a lot of hand-eye co-ordination and good vision, something she had neither of. She hadn't hit one target the entire time they were training. He told her that it's all good and well being able to fight short range but if there was a target that was shooting from afar she would need to have the same skill that he possesses. 

During the nights he would explain some of the events that he had to endure, he briefly spoke of the people he had met but didn't go into much detail about them, she had learned that he was a man that kept the past in the past. He found out a little about her home life: her mom Donna was all she had left and she was working as a cocktail waitress in Vegas and although he knew her father had left when she was young, she rarely spoke about him. Oliver told her about some of the memories he shared with Thea and told her about his fear of commitment, one of the biggest reasons he was here in the first place. 

Felicity had never been a sound sleeper, she was always tossing and turning during the night, having to try ridiculously hard some nights to even get a minute of shut-eye and when she finally did even the smallest of noises would wake her. Despite all of this she wasn't a dreamer. However, the past few nights she can't stop dreaming the same damn dream. She's a little girl again. Her father tucks her into bed before turning out the light. But as soon as the door closes she starts hearing manic laughing. Her 8 year old self is pulling the covers over her eyes and when she pulls them back down the laughter has stopped. But the dream doesn't end there. Her bedroom is replaced with the island and her walls are replaced by iron prison bars. She turns and a man is standing in front of her, with a wide wicked grin and a bloody knife in his hands. He begins walking towards her.  
Every night she had woken up at that exact point, with sweat on her forehead and palms. Tonight was different though, her dream continued and as much as she tried to wake up she just couldn't. The man was right beside her now, gripping her face tight in his hand as he brought the knife up close to her face. She can't recall what he said to her, by this point she was panicking too much. 

Oliver woke up to the sound of Felicity murmuring. He couldn't make out what she was saying but he could sense something was wrong. His assumptions were proved correct when she quickly jerked awake with a terrified expression written across her face and tears welling up in her eyes. She brought her hands to her face quickly and rocked herself back and forth. 

"Felicity? Are you okay?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

"Oliver I want to go home!" She shrieked, sobbing into her hands which were buried in her knees. 

"Hey," he cooed. "Come here." 

He pulled her into him, wrapping his arms tight around her body as she cried into him. Oliver knew how she was feeling all too well. His nightmares stopped some time last year, he still gets them occasionally though and they're so vivid that it's really hard not to be frightened. 

"How can you do this? Two years! How the hell have you lasted this long?" She asks, her fear dispersing slightly as she melts into his arms. 

"Honestly, I don't even know. I was beginning to think I was going to kill myself. Sometimes I actually think you're a part of my imagination." 

She lets out a small laugh before pulling away from him. "Are you serious?" 

He gives her a smile. "Yes, I'm serious. You're just... Not the sort of person you meet somewhere like this." 

"And what sort of people do you meet here? Strong people who can actually take care of themselves?" 

He laughs again. "Yes... But, also people without a soul. You're far too pure to be down here." 

"Are you trying to say I'm a nerd?" 

"Yes Felicity that's exactly what I'm saying," he jokes. 

She smiles and they sit there for a moment in silence. 

"I think we should go get some breakfast, Mr. Queen." 

"What a great idea, Miss Smoak." 

Oliver gets up and offers her a hand, she gratefully takes it. They make their way into the forest of trees. Oliver takes her down a different route today, he thinks she will appreciate the beauty of the path he's about to lead her down. 

"I'm feeling fruit today," Felicity states, carefully treading on stepping stones that lead to the entrance of a cavern. 

"Okay, but first I want to show you something," he replies, leading her deeper. 

He walks a lot faster than her, his excitement overwhelming and almost immediately her eyesight fails on her. 

"Oliver, I appreciate you're eager to show me whatever it is you want to show me but I don’t have a flashlight." 

"Sorry!" He apologizes, turning around and offering out his hand. 

They walk a little further until they can see a light coming the end of this seemingly endless tunnel. They take a few more steps before they are stood in front of a beautiful waterfall, the source of the water also being the source of the light. Felicity's mouth opens slightly in bewilderment. 

"Wow," is all she can say. 

The sound of the water relaxes her and all of her previous thoughts were gone. The only thing that mattered a that moment was that she was here. Standing in front of the most amazing site she had ever seen, with one of the most mind-opening people she had ever met. In that moment she didn't care if she died down here, she didn't care if Oliver Queen was the last person she ever spoke to. She didn't care if this was the last water she'd ever touch because she felt more at home than she ever did back in Starling city. 

"I found this place the first day I came here. It's the one place that isn't charted on the map. I like to think of it as the only place I can hide where no one can find me," Oliver explained, following her to where she had sat down on a nearby rock. 

"So I guess I now know where to find you if you go off in a sulk?" She joked, turning to look at him briefly before focusing her attention back on the waterfall. 

"I guess so," he said with a smile. 

It was strange, before Felicity came here he hadn't smiled for months. His loneliness has completely disappeared and although he had only had the pleasure of being in the presence of her for two weeks, he didn't want anything bad to happen to her. He didn't want her to leave him like all the others did. Not without the both of them putting up a fight. 

"I've also always been a shower kind of guy and this is the only thing that resembles a shower down here." 

"Good thing I'm a shower kind of girl too," she replies, grinning. 

"Shall we?" He asks mischievously, ushering forwards. 

"We shall," she replied, standing up with him. 

Felicity hadn't actually taken time to thank God that she was wearing pants when she got on the ferry. She mostly wore skirts and something tells her the island and short skirts don't mesh well together. Regardless of what she had on her bottoms, she had rid herself of them as she stripped off into her underwear. She looked over at Oliver who was now in his boxer shorts which seemed like they had been sewed together by an amateur. Can't blame him, Felicity had been wearing the same underwear for two weeks and she was itching to get it off. She'd ask him to make her a pair later. But for now all that was on her mind was Oliver's body. It was riddled with scars and on his back was a single tattoo. 

"You know it's rude to stare," he interrupted, a smirk plastered on his face. 

"Oh I wasn’t looking at your body! I mean I clearly was looking at your body, I just mean I wasn't admiring it. Not that you haven't got a body worth admiring I just mean that you should really shut me up right now." 

Oliver laughed loudly before replying, "It's fine, I get it, I've got a lot of scars." 

She nodded, biting her lip in embarrassment. 

"I'll give you a play-by-play on each of them as soon as we're back at camp, okay?" 

She smiles before joining hands with him and running under the waterfall.


	4. Chapter 4- taken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for how long this has taken and I know this is short but I kinda wanted to leave it from where I did. Enjoy! Hopefully I've got the motivation to have frequent updates again

It had been over a month. 6 weeks and 3 days to be exact. Felicity could honestly say she felt like a completely different person than she did when she first arrived. She had learnt small fighting skills, and in Oliver's words, she may not be able to knock the person out but at least she could block a few punches before Oliver comes to the rescue. She also felt weirdly close to Oliver now, she would like to say she looked at him like a brother, but she knew that wasn't true. Him being Oliver Queen had been the starting point of her crush, and now getting to know him and being in his company for 6 weeks non-stop has ignited feelings she, in normal circumstances, would suppress. 

She also managed to get around to awkwardly asking Oliver to make her some underwear, he also made her a pair of shorts and a tank top. They were a lot more comfortable than they looked in his defense. She had also learnt the story about some of his scars. He had been through a journey, a lot of them. She winced at every story he told. She couldn't do what he did and she hoped so deeply that she wouldn't have to. 

Felicity woke up again to another nightmare. She was able to deal with them now. (And she's adamant that it isn't because she and Oliver had started cuddling at night.) She feels Oliver tighten around her waist, him sensing her tense. He always seems to be awake before her and she finds it more than comforting to wake up to him asking, "are you okay?" She whispered back a, "yeah, I'm okay," every time. 

Oliver slowly removes his arm from her and rolls out of the blanket. "Felicity I had a thought last night." 

"What's that?" She replies, turning over to face him. 

"You said you made your first computer when you were 7, right?" 

She nods, waiting for him to continue. He nods too and walks over to a box, lifting out its contents. 

"What's that?" She asks. 

"It's a tablet, a man named Edward Fryers left it behind when he left the island. It won't turn on, I was thinking if we can get it working you would be able to... I don't know, send out a signal or something?" 

She stood up, the thought of computers refreshing her half-asleep state. She takes off the back and looks over the mini computer. 

"Nothing's wrong with the motherboard or wiring..." She says half-heartedly. 

"But?" 

"But, it's most likely the battery is dead, which means I'm going to need a power source to replace it." 

Oliver just stares at her as he can tell she is deep in thought. He goes to open his mouth before, almost as if on cue, Felicity shoots up and rifles through Olivers belongings. 

"What are you doing?" He asks as he stands up with her. 

"I'm just looking for some stuff, hold on." 

After a few minutes of searching she puts down some coins and random pieces of metal that she collected from various parts of the plane. 

"Felecity seriously, what are you doing?" 

"Just trust me," she replies, twisting some metal around a bronze coin. "Okay, here goes nothing..." She announces, twisting another wire around a part of the tablets motherboard. 

Almost immediately the tablets screen roared to life with a charging battery symbol. 

"I did it! I did it!" She yelled, jumping into Oliver's arms. 

He pulled away ever so slightly so he could see her face. As Felicity's breath caught in her throat he slowly said, "you're remarkable, Felicity." 

"Thank you," she replied as she swallowed, "for remarking on it." 

They pulled away from each other, returning back to their positions on the floor. Felicity picked up the tablet before turning back to Oliver. 

"Oliver, I'm a genius when it comes to computers, I can do everything, including making a WiFi signal..." 

"Again I ask, but?" 

"But if there's no signal out here there's absolutely nothing I can do." 

"Well, let's just hope there is," he responds, giving her a warm smile. 

She nods awkwardly, worrying that the only thing she's ever been good at may end up being a futile skill whilst she's out here. Oliver, noticing her doubt, places a hand on her cheek. 

"Look, whether it works or not, we will get out of here. I swear." 

Felicity smiles, a real smile, as she nuzzles into him. 

"Let's go get some food," Oliver suggests, rising from the ground. 

"Okay, let me just get my glasses." 

Oliver goes to the front of the plane before turning around abruptly and putting his hand on Felicity's arm urgently. Looking up with confusion written over her face, Oliver whispers, "you need to hide." Before Felicity can open her mouth he raises his voice and adds, "now!" 

Felicity obeys and climbs into Shado's medical chest. Although she does not understand, she trusts his words and stays silent, listening to Oliver exchange words with someone. 

"I thought you were dead," Oliver states 

"Well, Oliver you sure did pack a good punch. But we both know I know this island better than you ever could. Now tell me something," an unfamiliar male voice requests. 

"What do you want?" 

"Where's the girl?" 

"What girl?" 

"Don't play dumb with me Oliver, Felicity Smoak. I know she's here. It was only a matter of time before she activated my tablet. Tell me where she is, Oliver. For her I will spare you and get you onto a plane back to Starling City." 

Felicity's heart skipped a beat. She thought back to her first day here. Survival means being selfish. Those words rang through her like a loud drum. The words he told her. The words that had initially made her wary of him. The words that he seemed to take comfort in. He was going to let her die for his safety. She couldn’t blame him. He'd been on the island for two years, he gives up a girl he's known for just over a month, and he gets to see his family again. 

"I think both you and me know that I don't give up my friends," Oliver replied, allowing a tear to fall from Felicity's eye.

"And how did that end for Shado? And Yao Fei? Anyhow, I'm not going to hurt her. I just want her expertise for a while." 

"Oh yeah? And then what? When she's no longer any worth to you you're just going to kill her like the rest of your workers right?" 

"Have a little more faith in me Oliver." 

"I lost my faith the moment I stepped foot onto this island." 

"Well then, I guess we're going to have a spout of deja vu," Edward spat out before raising a gun to Oliver's head. "Take him." 

Other men crowd Oliver, grabbing his arms and dragging him away. Felicity stays put, covering her mouth with one hand as tears stream down her face. She wants to scream, she wants to help him. But she knows if Oliver can't beat them she sure can't. As she hears him being taken away she knows what she can do. Give this man what she wants in return for Oliver. If he won't do it, she will. But as she takes a peak out she realizes that she's too late and within her slight panic attack she didn’t realize that the sound of Oliver's struggle had come to an end and all that was left was the deafening silence of her loneliness. She breaks down in tears before she promises herself and Oliver that she will find him.


	5. Chapter 5- trapped

Felicity didn't know a thing about this Edward man, but she knew full well that her knowledge of computers was much more extensive than his. Why else would he need her? She immediately picks up his tablet and turns it over, revealing the motherboard and other pieces of wiring. Without hesitation she rips one of the wires, the exact wire that allowed Edward to track her. She then waits patiently for the tablet to turn on, abruptly getting to work when the battery symbol disappears being replaced with a lock screen.

"So how predictable are you?" She says to herself aloud, pressing in obvious combinations.

After no avail she curses and prompts a command centre. After typing in a code the tablet becomes unlocked and she begins rifling through the apps and pictures, trying to get an idea of who this man is and what he wants. The picture folder is empty and there is only three apps which were there by default. She shakes her head before opening the command centre again to type yet another code. This time she gets a list of all of the recent devices that have connected to the tablet. Within seconds she gets an IP address and within minutes an actual location. She stands up and gathers some things, not for an instance fighting with herself over whether it is a good idea to go after him. She picks up a knife, packing it into a makeshift bag along with some food and a water canteen. Before she leaves she grabs Oliver's bow and the tablet and packs it over her back before leaving the plane with a deep breath in.

Edward gives Oliver a sinister smile as he watches his men tie him against a chair.

"So Oliver, here we are again. Do you remember what your favourite tool was? Because I feel like you really enjoyed the whip last time. Am I wrong?"

"How did you even know she was here?"

"Because Oliver, she's here because of me."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, you see, Felicity Smoak is the only person who can do what I need to be done. I need her to override an opposing ship's entire computer system and it just so happens that her ferry got into an 'accident' and now here she is."

Oliver scowls at him, spitting at the floor. Edward grabs his face aggressively.

"You should feel damn lucky! She's the only person on that boat who survived and that is because of me."

"If it wasn't for you the boat wouldn’t have gone down in the first place!"

"Specifics, specifics, Oliver. Now, you're going to tell me where she is or I'm going to rip one ounce of your flesh every minute until you do."

Oliver stays silent, letting out a humored huff of air before turning away from him.

"I'm not telling you a damn thing."

"Well then..." Edward says before turning around swiftly and slapping Oliver's chest with a powerful whip resulting in a roar of pain from Oliver. "You can change your mind at any minute. This can all be over."

Felicity was following the map that was on the screen of the tablet. Although she could feel her heart going wild in her chest and her brain constantly telling her to stop, her feet just continued moving forward. Her walk felt like hours and although the clock on the tablet was wrong, only 15 minutes had passed since she last checked. She wasn't sure when she'd be at her desired location but all she could hope is that Oliver would be alive when she got there.

As she stepped over a branch that was poking from the tree on her left, she let out a sharp scream when she felt a snake move past her leg. She now started running, shaking herself down as she did so. Within 5 minutes of running she heard the tablet beep telling her that she had reached her destination. She took in a sharp breath before packing away her tablet and staring up at the tall building in front of her. She took a step forward, opening the door and revealing a very wet and dark walkway. Upon seeing men with guns she slammed her back against one of the walls, listening carefully for any movement.

After the men's voices drowned out she peeked around the corner. Seeing that the coast was clear she creeped forward before stopping in her tracks when she heard a loud groan. It didn't take a genius to know that the sound was Oliver's groggy voice. She knew time was running out so she ran towards the noise.

Oliver had endured five different torture methods and yet he still did not give up Felicity. Of course he wanted to leave. There was nothing he wanted more. But after talking to this girl for 6 weeks non-stop it was evident that her life was so much more valuable than his. And she was a much better person than him. And she deserved freedom much more than he did. So as Edward drilled a knife into his shoulder, he let out a loud yell but he still did not falter. He wouldn't. He assumed Edward knew that by now.

Oliver looked down and as his vision blurred he knew he was losing a lot of blood. He had never been afraid to die. At least not after The Island. But as the images of the beautiful blonde clouded his memory, he realised he finally had something to lose. And he was damned if he was going to. Just as he was about to use his last remaining strength to push himself off this chair and avoid yet another knife being plunged into him, his memories were no longer memories and the gorgeous lips that he was so afraid of never see again were quivering in the background of his vision. He looked away from her to see the man who was torturing him on the floor with an arrow through his heart.

"Felicity you need to leave!" Oliver warned.

"Not without you, Oliver!" She retorted, running to him and undoing the knots that were binding his hands and feet.

When she managed to get him free, she pulled him into a hug, keeping him tight against her body.

"There are guards everywhere. I'm lucky I got in. I don't think we're getting out," Felicity states, putting a hand on his face, "you should've given me up. They would've taken me and you would be on a plane home."

"Felicity why the hell would I do that?"

"Because like you said... Survival means being selfish."

Oliver looks at her incredulously before taking a hold of her hand.

"I can't be selfish when it comes to you."

The pair look at eachother in the eyes, not looking away for even a second apart from to look at the others lips. They both lean in slowly but before their lips touch they hear a door shut to the right of them and their heads snap round.

"We've got to go," Oliver whispers, pulling her hand with him as he crouches down and begins walking.


	6. Chapter 6- Being a woman has its perk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity finally understand why Fryers needs Felicity so damn much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THAT I HAVE TAKEN SO LONG I AM GENUINELY A MESS WITH LIFE AND IT'S BEEN LIKE A YEAR AND I'M JUST SORRY BUT HERE YOU GO!

Oliver and Felicity watched from behind a corner as a man signaled over his radio that Oliver had escaped. Oliver turned to look at Felicity. 

"You go, I'll distract them," he commands, ready to walk towards the men. 

"No! I did not risk my life coming here just so I could leave without you," Felicity retorts, grabbing hold of his arm and pulling him back. 

"What do you suggest then? They're everywhere and now that they know I'm missing they're going to shut this place down until they find me." 

"What does he want from me? I mean maybe I can just give him what he-" Felicity starts. 

"No! One hundred percent no. We're going to get out of here. I refuse to negotiate with that man." 

Felicity just sighs as Oliver leads her across one of the walls, slamming her body back once he notices a shadow at the end of the hallway. 

"Give me my bow," Oliver orders. 

Felicity gives it to him and Oliver quickly jumps around the corner shooting two arrows, one after the other resulting in the men dropping to the floor without so much as a whisper coming from their mouths. 

"Come on," he ushers. 

They both run across the corridor before reaching a door. Oliver puts his ear against it to see if he can hear anything. He puts a finger to his lips to tell Felicity to calm down her uncertain breathing. He opens the door slightly before swinging it and shooting another arrow through another one of Fryer's men. They manage to get to the end of the next corridor before two double doors open to reveal Edward surrounded by guards holding heavy machinery. 

"Do we have to do this every time, Oliver?" Edward asks with a smirk. "Take the girl." 

"Don't touch her!" Oliver shouts, raising his bow before lowering it again after one of the guards aims his own gun at Felicity. 

The guards take the both of them through multiple doors before throwing them into a metal cage. Oliver instinctively shields Felicity with his own body whilst stroking a piece of her hair behind her face. She was beyond sobbing now and was hysterically crying. 

"Hey, hey, hey," Oliver soothed, stroking her face with one of his hands whilst using the other to lift her face up so that their eyes met. "Let's find out what he wants, okay? If it's something simple and doesn't involve risking your life then we'll do it quickly and get the hell out of here. I don’t believe he's going to get us a plane home but I'm sure when his use for us is over he'll let us go," Oliver continued, hardly believing the words he was saying himself but he would do anything to stop the tears from streaming down the blonde's face. 

Felicity nodded, trying to compose herself. She took a deep breath and nodded again. 

"Okay, you're right." 

A little while later Fryers returned with various weapons and utensils. 

"Now Felicity, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?" He asked. 

Felicity stood from her position on the floor, walked confidently to the bars with a stern glare and spat out, "what do you want?" 

"Perfect," Edward grinned. 

He left the room and returned a few minutes later with a tablet similar to the one she had repaired earlier. 

"Now, you see this coding?" He asked, she nodded. "It's the skeleton behind a ship used for the cartel of a very new and innovative drug by the name of Mirakuru-"

"The drug that Slade took?" 

"Ah, right you are, Oliver. As I was saying: the ship that has the drugs I require on board is without a driver. It is a new type of technology which is entirely AI based. I've tried breaking through multiple times but the encryption is too strong. That's where you come in. I need you to break the encryption and send the ship this way." 

"Felicity, you can't do-" Oliver begins. 

"I'll do it," Felicity interrupts. 

"What? Felicity-" 

"The woman has spoken, Oliver," Fryers says, turning to his henchmen. "Release the girl. He can stay exactly where he is." 

Oliver looked at Felicity, bewildered to which she mouthed, 'trust me.' He watched as the men took her away before slumping down in the corner of the cell.   
Hours had passed and Oliver was beginning to get worried. He ran through various scenarios in his head and at this point none of them had a happy ending. All he could see was Felicity alone, crying and bleeding. Then in another scenario Felicity is alive and well but the world is corrupt with emotionless meta-humans. His mind does not seem to be getting any closer to ease until Fryers comes back with Felicity and puts her back in the cell next to Oliver. Immediately Oliver takes her in his arm and sobs quietly. He realises then just how much she meant to him. She had made him feel again, she filled up the huge gaping hole that had been in his heart ever since he lost his father on the boat long ago. She could feel his desperation and sorrow and she leant in close to set his mind to rest. 

"I sent a message to my friend, Roy, back at Queens Consolidated. I sent him our exact co-ordinates. I told Fryers that I changed the boat route which I did but I did it so that the boat would crash. I also told him it would be here in 48 hours. I hoped he might let us go but he said he's keeping us here until the boat arrives. I don't know what we're going to do." 

"We need some sort of distraction. If we can get to the control room would you be able to shut down any cameras and any other security they have set up?" Oliver asked. 

"Yes, of course. These cameras are visual only so I'd be able to do even better than shutting them down. I'll be able to loop previous footage, so if we can get to control room before anyone sees us, we'll be able to get out unseen." 

Felicity and Oliver both looked around, seeing hopelessness surrounding them as they were unable to find an exit of any sort. Felicity rolled her eyes a she came to the assumption there was only one thing she could do. She took off her glasses and her top. 

"Felicity what are you-" 

"Follow my lead," She whispered to Oliver. Hey!" She called to the guard standing to the far end of the room. 

The guard turned around and raised his eyebrow at the girls petite body. 

"What have we got here, eh?" He asked, walking closer to the cell whilst licking his lips. 

"It's been a long time, you know? Maybe you could help me out," Felicity said in an alluring way, biting her lip. 

Oliver stared in astonishment. Not just at her body but her words, also. He had never pictured Felicity as being seductive. Sure, he has always believed she was the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on, but her awkward quirkiness had always made him believe she was incapable of getting a complimentary sentence out without choking on her words, let alone seduce a man and possibly save both our lives. 

"Whilst he's here?" He asked, looking at Oliver. 

"Oh, I'm sure he doesn't mind. Right, Oliver?" She said, winking at him. 

"Not at all," he said blankly, getting jealous at their, although fake, exchange of words. 

"Alright then," the guard says, grinning wide to show his gold tooth on his upper right canine. 

He stepped towards the cell and grabbed out his set of keys before unlocking the door. Before the man was able to even open it, Oliver swung round getting him in a headlock and breaking his neck. 

"I underestimated you," Oliver said, laughing. 

"Being a woman has its perks," she said putting her top back on and lifting her glasses on her face.


End file.
